Fund raisers, walking and tears

So we made the local rag & the cake sale & the community coffee morning fund raisers were a great success. Thanks in the main to all of my fab family & friends who baked and helped out. £307 raised!! Woooohooo!! It rounds off this whole 'meningitis episode' nicely for me. I feel like we have helped raise awareness and £'s for research & others.

It's so wonderful to be on this side of the illness but for so many this side never happens :(

I happened upon a programme on BBC 1 last week about a medical team and there was an 18 month old on there being admitted in a coma with meningitis. I sobbed the whole way through it...the emotions which on a daily basis seem so under control were suddenly unleashed and wild! I relived every moment with the parents of 'Freddie' and felt the ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster on which they travelled, just as we had a few short weeks ago.

So what about Herbs, my little trooper, well once again my baby has learnt to walk, twice now in his short 16 months here on Earth. Heck some babies don't manage to do it once in that time. He amazes me every day with his recovery.

WALK WALK WALK!

As the title suggest this is top of Herbie's priorities at the moment. He has walked quite a long way now but often he stands, does 5 or 6 steps and collapses. He just wants to practise though. We often catch him just standing there and clapping too. I am a little sad at time though when I think that had he not caught meningitis he would have been a confident walker by now and more independent. Still he is not far off. A lovely day spent celebrating our nephew's 6th birthday & a visit from the newspaper photographer which was surprisingly calm! Roll on another week.

4 became 2 for a few hours

So back to school for my older children today...the first time since we were reunited. I was surprised by Ru's reaction (my 2 year old) who cried and said 'No Lily & Kitty gool...please...make them come a home'. Perhaps he was as unsettled as I was by the first separation since we returned from hospital? The girls however couldn't wait to get there. School life for 7 year old girls involves lots of gossiping and planning, they had much to do! There were the new haircuts to show off, the celebrity little brother to parade to friends now he is out of hospital, brand new shoes and holiday escapades to recount. All this AFTER copious amounts of hugging and jumping up and down excitedly as they were reunited with best friends.

What milestones today? Herbie spent his first night in his own cot in his own room since being ill. It wasn't as bad as I feared and I didn't even have to get up to him in the night! 7pm-6.30am...almost back to normal! He did lots of cruising of the furniture and there was a look in his eye that seemed to say 'I want to walk...I will soon'. His strength is returning and so is his confidence but my favourite thing is to see him returning to his sociable self. He is smiling at other people more readily and waving at passers by. He held out his arms to Grandpa to take him for a cuddle which I know warmed Grandpa's heart!

Todays biggest fear? That it will happen to one of my other children, that meningitis will strike twice...I try to push the thought to the back of mind but it keeping popping out unexpectedly, like an old jack in box :(